"Luke, no." I pull at his arm. I don't think I want any of these dresses. This store is making me nervous. I cannot afford to shop here.
"You haven't even tried them on yet. If you don't like any of these we can try another store after lunch."
Alone in a dressing room I undress and finger the price tags. I know a dress from Target isn't going to cut it in Luke's world, but I didn't realize the discrepancy was so great. Three thousand, six hundred and ninety-five dollars. Eighteen hundred dollars. Two thousand, four hundred and twenty-five dollars. Wait, here's a bargain—nine hundred and fifteen dollars. I'm sure Luke intends to pay, but I have no frame of reference for this. The nicest dress I've ever worn was to my prom and my prom date most certainly did not take me to the store and buy my dress.
There's a knock on the door. It's the saleswoman asking how the dresses are fitting and letting me know that the gentleman would like to see the fit.
I groan and pull the "cheap" dress off the hanger and slide it on. It's pretty, gray and slinky with a plunging neckline. I'm not wearing heels so it drags on the floor. I pinch the fabric at mid-thigh with my fingertips to raise the hem and walk out to find Luke. He's texting but stops and frowns when he sees my face.
"What's wrong? You don't like this one?" His gaze runs up and down my form. "It fits you perfectly."
I shake my head no. "Can we leave?" I ask quietly. Luke examines my face, waiting for more from me, but it's not coming.
"Okay," he agrees, but I can tell he's confused.
I strip out of the dress and change back into my jeans and sweater as quickly as possible and sigh in relief.
We exit the shop and walk towards Market Street. We're meeting Boyd at the Capital Grille.
"Care to explain, Sophie?" Luke interrupts my thoughts as we walk. His eyes are focused ahead.
I shrug.
"Words, please."
"I don't want you to buy me a dress."
"Why not?"
I shrug again.
"Sophie." His tone indicates he's not amused.
"I just don't."
He's quiet then as we walk, our feet crunching over the shoveled sidewalks, cars swooshing past us on the street.
"Did you want me to find another date so you can stay home?"
"Like Gina?" I retort.
"What the hell does Gina have to do with this?" He sounds close to exhausted with me but I shrug again. I'm pretty sure based on the tick in his jaw that he'd be spanking my ass right now if we weren't in the middle of the street. I know I'm behaving like a brat, but I don't have any answers for Luke. I don't know how to express why the dress bothers me, but it does. Maybe it signifies how different we are. Buying expensive dresses and attending galas is not anything I see in my future, even after graduation.
"This is a black-tie event, Sophie, you need an appropriate dress if you're going to attend, and I'd like you to attend."
"I want to go with you." I trail off and then Luke gets a call, so I'm saved from elaborating. We've reached the Capital Grille on Chestnut, where we’re meeting Boyd for lunch. Luke indicates I should go in while he finishes his call and I gladly take the opportunity to postpone this conversation.
Lunch is slightly nerve-racking. Luke spends the hour interrogating Boyd, which Boyd seems oblivious to, thankfully.
I'm trying to get to know Boyd. I'm not sure that we have much in common, but he's family. I don't know why Luke joined us, as he seems more interested in finding a reason why I shouldn't associate with Boyd than in getting to know him.
We part ways outside and I give Boyd a hug. I watch him walk away for a moment then turn and start walking with Luke in the opposite direction.
"I thought you agreed to be nice to Boyd, Luke."
"I wasn't nice?"
I roll my eyes and Luke raises his eyebrows.
“You were a little aggressive.”
"Okay. I’ll work on that." He takes my hand and we walk on in silence.
"What if I can't find a job right away?" I blurt out. "After graduation."
"I'll help you."
"Luke, no! That's not what I meant. And you're a doctor, how are you going to help me find an accounting job?"
"I meant financially, but I'm sure I could line up some interviews for you as well. Hospitals have plenty of accounting work."
"I meant, what if I have to waitress until I find a job? Are you still going to want to take me to charity galas? I'm a barista now, it's not any different than waitressing, I just make less money."
Luke pulls me over against a building, out of the path of people walking past, and puts his hand under my chin, tilting my face up to his. "Sophie, what are you getting at?"
"Why do you love me? I'm a college student and you're… you! You're a doctor with a trust fund and a fancy penthouse. You're cultured and associate with people who host charity events or sit on boards of companies. You have a housekeeper, Luke. I do my laundry in a coin-operated machine that I share with a hundred other students."